TIMELESS JADE

An Authentic Shang Dynasty “Sardine Can-Opener Man” Early Shang Period (1,700-1,000 BCE) – Height: 5 cm

The First Of A Two Part Series Article

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70  f/2.8L USM Lens

Provenance: Ang Ngo Gan Collection. We are extremely proud to be named the official Authenticators and Curators for the Ang Family of California, and their wondrous grouping of jade artifacts.  All the pieces we are representing were brought into the United States in 1950 by the Grandfather of Marilou Ang; Mr. Ang Ngo Gan, originally from Ching Kang, China, near Amoy, during the ‘Period of Confusion’.  He was a restaurateur and business man in California, and his collection is now represented by Antiquities, Plus… through his granddaughter Marilou Ang and her husband Richard Evangelista.

One of the most phenomenal discoveries we have made in our years of working with jade artifacts is this one small but mighty piece of green nephrite jade, carved in an archaic style that is known world-wide to be one of the strongest indicators of Shang Period vintage, with its plainly visible false-relief design. Any true aficionado of archaic jades will immediately recognize the style of this Shang Period artifact, as it is an almost identical form to one of most famous and published jades of all time, the renowned Shang Dynasty Nephrite Jade ‘Sardine Can-Opener Man’ in the well-known Sackler Collection ( see the book Jade, Consultant Editor Roger Keverne page 94, fig. 8, Height: 7 cm). While this fantastic piece of the jade-worker’s art has been published on numerous occasions, it might not be all that it seems, and in this article we will discuss the possibility of how it could be a later Ming Dynasty replication of the famous piece that is finely represented on the cover of book #5 of The Complete Collection Of Jades Unearthed In China, Gu Fang. This marvelous example of Shang Period workmanship can be found on page 24 of the aforementioned book, and was excavated from the tomb of Fuhao, Anyang, Henan Province (Height: 7 cm) . For those not possessing this great research material, it can be noted here that both it and the Sackler Piece look almost identical;  the exception being that the one on page 24 of The Complete Collection Of Jades Unearthed In China is made from a beautiful green nephrite (as is the Ang piece) and the Sackler item is supposedly made of a white and black nephrite. While we are certain the item is truly made of white nephrite jade, we believe it could also have been black-dyed, an effect much used in the Ming Dynasty to replicate the colors of the burial objects being unearthed, studied and copied by the literati of the period. Both the Sackler item and the piece found in Henan Province are described as late Shang Period, and it is our belief that this stylistically fits the period to perfection, while the Ang example, as we will see, is in a less advanced style and most likely from an earlier period, and not just the creation of a different artist.

Photo Taken with Canon EOX XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

From the above two pictures of the Ang Estate nephrite jade Sardine Can-Opener Man, we can see the same quality green stone that was used in the making of the one from Henan Province, with the major exceptions being between the darkened areas of the two differing stones, and the extreme, natural wear that appears on the Ang piece above. In both the Sackler Sardine Can-Opener Man, and the one from Henan, the false relief lines are much more delineated, as are the fingers and the entire design overall. The hair styles and clothing designs are much more pronounced – the execution of the carver’s art around the eyes, nose, mouth and ears has been refined to a greater degree, and is indicative of later Shang Period pieces, while older Shang Period items seem to be just beginning this transformation towards the realistic, from the exquisite but more stylistic approaches of the Neolithic pieces of the Hongshan and the Liangzhu Cultures in particular. (Please note that our analysis of the other two carved figures is by photograph only). Also, the black that is seen on the Henan piece appears to be more a condition of the nephrite itself, while the blackened areas on the Ang Estate piece, as will be shown in the macro and microscopic picture to follow, are caused by the conditions of environment, and degradation. The darkened areas of the Sackler piece, under photographic analysis alone, appear to differ from both above-mentioned examples, and we will make our best effort to show this reasoning in both regular and close-up photography as we proceed with this back-to-back, two-article series (as we believe that for most folks, this is too much information to be properly absorbed in one long article).

Right Profile View

Left Profile View

Above Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

The above two photographs offer us a wonderful view of the ensuing degradation from long-term burial. This fine example of early Shang Period jade art is a 100% in-situ piece, having only the most minimal of cleanings; meaning it has only been washed of its accompanying tomb dirt, and never re-polished in any manner. The little shine that does occur on the piece comes only from the fondling of a favorite item, where skin oils penetrated the piece. This effect became very apparent early on in our investigation of the item, after it was removed from a three-week soaking in pure acetone. The piece came out of the acetone exactly as it went in, without the presence of new waxes, which turn the surface to a cloudy, whitened appearance.  (By ‘newer’, it should be noted that this would mean ‘during the last decade or so’). [It has been the custom  for hundreds, if not thousands of years, to use various coatings to protect, delineate or accentuate the fine details that have been rubbed with sacred red iron oxides, cinnabar, and/or black and red lacquers, and sometimes, various paints. We find that on older waxed pieces, the tendency is for the wax to remain if  it is at least approximately fifty to one hundred years old; then, repeated soaking and cleaning with our power sprayer may be necessary, if there are indications of even older tool markings or coatings beneath what is visible after the initial soaking and cleaning. Even after three weeks of soaking, the coating is sound and secure.  (It should be noted here that the Chinese replicators, having always possessed the ability to read and discern, have recently returned to a prior practice of darkening a stone with a colorant that defies its removal with acetone).  We have had to revert back to an old learned method of removal by using heated oxalic acid on the particular item for approximately 15 minutes, followed by an hour-long soaking in regular household bleach. It it sometimes necessary to repeat the oxalic acid bath for the approximate amount of time referred to, followed by a second (overnight) soaking in bleach, which will remove the remainder of the colorant. In some instances, the coloring will be removed by the warm oxalic acid bath alone, in a matter of seconds.]

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens

A marvelous close up photograph using only 1X power of the macro lens starts to reveal the natural deposits that are associated with long term burial objects. The original degradation to the green nephrite begins to show us the extent of time in burial, and some of the conditions that were present during this burial. The drilling tool marks, which  begin to show up under this magnification, can be more easily discerned in the hole to the viewer’s right, but even with the fuzziness (due to the field of view of the macro lens), the drill marks (which occur due to the addition of fresh, coarser grit during the drilling, causing the deeper marks as the grit breaks down from the drilling; the higher ridges form until the addition of more coarse grit causes the next deeper groove), can still be discerned in the left side of the conically-drilled suspension hole. The natural manganese left from decomposed vegetative matter can still be seen in the darkened areas, both in the holes and over the surface of the hairdo, or decorated head piece.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1X5 Macro Lens

More of the natural mineral and organic deposits can be seen in this photo, using the macro lens at only 1X of its power range. We can easily see the false relief technique so definitive of the Shang Period, but more importantly, inside the grooves left by the artist, we can now easily identify the fact that the piece is 100% in-situ, with no re-cutting or re-polishing, as the inside of the design carries the exact same original organic and mineral deposits, along with the identical natural degradation, as the outside. The determination that no artificial aging of the stone has occurred, had already been ascertained by the methods mentioned above, and hours under the microscope had revealed other anomalies that are impossible to fake, and will be well-described during the remainder of this article. The following is a short series of photographs taken at the 3x power setting of the macro lens, which the reader may peruse and study at their leisure.

Above Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens

As can be seen in the above five photographs, we have deeper close-up views of the degradation to the nephrite jade artifact, and the remaining natural organics, oxidation of the iron in the jade, manganese deposits starting to define themselves, and the introduction to most of our readers of the concept of petrification of organic material on antiquities stemming from specific burial conditions. First found in the early 1990′s under a loupe, while doing investigation on old polishes vs. modern techniques of a quick roughing-out of replications, and the ensuing ways they were polishing, burning, dying, using strong acids and alkalies, re-polishing and waxing the pieces coming out Hong Kong and being sold for 99 cents plus four dollars shipping, we found a most stunning example of an old Fenghuang, or Red Bird of the south (Phoenix), which at the time was suspicious due the fact that it had been lightly dyed, with the accompanying applied obligatory mud. After throughly cleaning the item, and during inspection under a 20 power loupe of every square centimeter (as is always accomplished with every piece we authenticate), I found my first example of full petrification in a perfect portion of a leaf that had, under ideal conditions, totally petrified. Only the veins of the leaf portion had remained, but the most curious part to me at the time was that the cross-hatched veins of the leaf had actually turned into the stone, and were exactly the same color as the stone.  In addition to this, the petrified portions of the leaf were raised above the surface of the stone. Hence, my first encounter with a perfect example of total petrification of organic detritus. This piece was taken to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and verified by Terese Tse Bartholomew, Michael Knight and He Li, when I asked Terese, “How could they (the Chinese) fake this?”, Terese answered, “They can’t.”  At that time, in approximately 2004, both myself and Ms. McIntire were  contributing members to the Asian Art Museum, and I was doing a great deal of research at this wonderful facility, and the entire proceedings were witnessed and taped from their amazing security room in the basement. It was at this point that we started to go into such depths of authentication on our entire collection, and those of others who asked us to verify their pieces. Since this initial encounter, I have found a new world that exists under microscopic conditions, and have identified many more examples of petrified detritus, and today we possess many fine examples, along with other pieces we represent. Also around this time, we started to find the curious tracks that roots make on jade; when other burial conditions exist, the  roots do not just die and adhere to petrify, but rather live so long on the stone that they actually ‘eat’ into the stone in their lifetime, leaving a most defining tree-root track, indicating that it has been eaten away by the roots, and if never re-polished off, leave their indisputable marks of authenticity on both stone objects and pottery. While Archeologists rightfully call any mineralization of organic material ‘petrification’, there are, without a doubt, varying degrees, from early mineralization to full petrification (like agatization), but this fully petrified state, whether in mineralization or a full petrification where the detritus actually becomes the stone, has never been found by us in ground burials younger than the approximate two thousand-year-old age mark. We have many fine example of shipwreck pottery showing mineralized organic roots from the 13Th to 15Th Century, but due to the higher moisture and mineral content of the sea, I have never personally considered them  the same, even though the effect has occurred (with the exception of a piece going all the way into what I would term ‘full petrification’; becoming the stone, and showing the degree of ion transfer such as found in pseudomorphs). Note: Sometimes specimens of  petrified detritus are very hard to photograph, due to the field of vision with the lens used, lighting conditions, and the fact that they become the exact same color, as will be seen when we get to the microscopic photographs. Another word of caution to other authenticators and students of nephrite artifacts: When looking for various, impossible-to-fake aspects under microscopic conditions, one must not let the fibrous nature of true nephrite that shows up on burial items (especially when re-polished, with the softer portions worn away, leaving the toughest fibers to remain above the surface, similar to erosion of earth structures) to be misinterpreted as petrified tree roots. We use extreme caution in verifying by this method, and while we know we have passed over literally thousands of minute portions of true petrified detritus, it is only when the structure shows that the roots are extremely well-defined and much larger and longer than the accompanying nephritic fibers, that we use this tool as proof of authenticity (as in the two pictures above, which take on the unmistakable ‘river delta’ look as the root branches off naturally). It is a very easy trap to fall into, wishing things to be what we want them to be, simply because one has purchased an item, and naturally wants it to be real. We have found it much safer to steer on the side of caution, and to consider all items to be replications; only when we have exhausted every effort to make the item fake does it truly become authentic.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 30X Microscopic Power

This strong photograph shows the inside surface of the left side (viewing straight-on) of the suspension hole in the Ang Estate Sardine Can-Opener Man. It clearly shows the undisturbed, in-situ condition of a true Shang Period drilled hole, with its accompanying varying depths of drilling marks due to the addition of the coarser grits, as mentioned earlier. Also, the iron in the original, all green nephrite jade is extremely oxidized, as evidenced by the reddish portions of the photograph. Please note the natural pitting that occurs inside the grooves of a genuine  artifact. This suspension hole would have been quick to fill up with silt from the burial, and thus it is protected more from the tectonic movements that abrade the outside of a burial object to a greater extent. When we see the acid-etched replications, the suspension holes have that very familiar look of being the same as the outside, and since most common replicators today use a hemi-jade or serpentine, one gets those ‘plates’ of rugged-looking tremolite or actinolite ‘bunches’ that puzzle so many people, and appear so old in the photographs. Another note of caution: On other types of replications, under the view of even a 10X power loupe, the drill hole will appear to be smoother, whiter (from recent tooling), and the grooves not as deep. But, this can also occur on a genuine artifact if it has been re-cut and re-polished in the more modern way, using newer diamond tooling methods; then, extra special care must be taken to find the areas that could not be faked, and sometimes it will be in just one  line or groove, missed when the re-cutting was performed. Even my own carvings show this effect while using mostly monolithic diamond tools that are made entirely of diamonds suspended in a hard medium. Now take into account that the Chinese have learned to mimic the old tooling methods, and started several years ago to use modern diamond tools to ‘rough’ out a piece, and then go back over it with old-style tools to give it that old-tooling look before polishing the piece, in just one manner in which they make them. These can usually be discerned by removing all waxes, which may take up to four separate cleanings, and picking the wax out of the grooves with an acupuncture needle to finally get to the bottom of the groove, and then finding the modern diamond tooling marks there where the old-style tools cannot reach. This is just another of of the more than twenty different ways we have discovered how they replicate, and the techniques are constantly being refined. This is the reason we spend in excess of $20,000 each year just buying the newest, most modern fakes in ‘jade’, pottery and bronze. I will endeavor to keep ‘passing’ along these little secrets as the articles continue.

Above Two Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

The two above photographs show the original, natural and 100% in-situ Manganese deposits, which are in reality, very uncommon from areas of Northern China, and especially the more North and West of Beijing towards the more arid regions approaching Mongolia. On some of our items, we have to get to 45X microscopic power to locate any Manganese deposits. These might be ‘tucked away’ in so little a place as a small section of nephritic material which has been chipped off, and a pocket  with the minute trace of Manganese crystalline growth can be found. When a piece has been re-polished (as most true artifacts are),  there may only be one small spot on an entire artifact, and sometimes there is none at all to be found. As can be ascertained with this fantastic specimen, the tomb conditions were moist, and enough manganese was present in the surrounding soils (both in the organic material that was present in the soil at burial, and that which grew into it at a later date), that not only were the conditions right for the manganese crystal growth to occur, but those ‘special’ conditions were present to allow even the petrification of some of the organic material. One very important aspect of the above two pictures is the nephritic fibers which are showing up quite nicely at this magnification and can be easily compared to the two following 30X microscopic photographs, which shows roots in the later mineralization stage inside one of the suspension holes, and the totally petrified tree roots in in the last photograph, in much greater detail.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

A wonderful photograph showing the edge of one of the suspension holes. This is such a marvelous photo because it shows us not only the later growth, mineralized (not totally turned to nephrite jade as yet) tree roots just inside the edge of the suspension hole, but it also clearly shows the through-transmission of the nephrite, and the depth to which the oxidation of the iron in the jade (the turning of the green nephrite to red, caused by the associated mineral iron, which initially turns pure white nephrite to green) has occurred naturally. Along with this, we also see the dark traces of Manganese still in the process of growing and adhering to the original surface material. The ‘calcification’ (degradation) of the nephrite is also clearly visible, as are the shadowy tooling marks inside the hole, due to the depth of field of the lens. The small ‘thread’ at the bottom of the picture is just a fine fiber caught by the ragged calcification as it was being positioned on a felt pad for the photograph.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

This photograph was very difficult for me to take because the positioning had to be just right with the lighting, and hand-held in my current setting, to get the shadows to play off the raised section of totally petrified tree roots. As one can imagine, in the petrification process, much of the original mass of the root is lost due to dehydration, along with a myriad of other factors that occur over the millennia it takes for this fascinating transformation from plant fiber to nephrite. If one looks carefully, one can see the tiny nephritic fibers between the petrified roots as they they take on their very characteristic ‘river delta’ pattern. Also, while viewing in person under the scope, one can get a very clear view as we manipulate the piece up and down, and from side to side.

In the second half of this article (which should be finished by week’s-end), we will delve more into the differences of the three known “Sardine Can-Opener Men”, and why we believe the one in the Sackler Collection could possibly be of Ming Dynasty vintage.

David Fredericks  –  Yulongwei

Antiquities, Plus

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One of the Most Fabulous & Unique Nephrite Jades Ever Discovered

Photo Taken With Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

I believe almost all true Nephrite Jade aficionados were effectively ‘hooked’ by the “Stone of Heaven” through a singular event;  a single encounter with a particular piece of stone. For me it was at a very early age (somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 years old) in a barn in the Mid-West where I saw my first ‘treasure’, a carving stuck between two bales of hay at a good old farm auction.  It sure was green, and it sure was beautiful, with all the intricate little people, trees, animals and tiny houses, and even though the auction house put it up on the block after my discovery, and asking if “this was going to be for sale”, it sure didn’t end up meeting my budget by the time the gavel hit. But hooked I was, or perhaps smitten would be a better word, as no matter where life would take me after that, I never forgot that beautiful piece of stone and the wonderful carving on it.  Whether it was really Jade or just a green stone, and whether it was truly masterfully carved or just a nice little WWII tourist item, all I really can say is that 50 years later, I am still fascinated by jade, and fascinated by carving and artistry of all types, but particularly Chinese, like that first ‘greenstone’ carving I lost the bid on so many years ago. (I did end up buying at that auction a little carved greenstone fish that I will always swear was my first piece of jade, even if it wasn’t .

This tremendous example of gem-quality “Polar” Nephrite Jade was donated to us by Mr. Kirk Makepeace of Jade West & Jade Mine, out of his personal, private collection of specimens, for a series of articles in which we can continue to discuss some of the different qualities and characteristics of one of the world’s most fascinating and truly glorious (and also misunderstood) stones. In this series of articles, we are going to examine one of the most beautiful nephrite jades ever discovered, and compare it to several other extremely unique types of nephrite. We will study it by way of structure, texture, durability and carvability; but in luster and sheer beauty it will be extremely hard to find any nephrite that stands so high. The series will end some months from now (as I do run a full-time business with interests in jade and art), with a finished, polished carving, in which I hope to come close to fulfilling the potential of this marvelous specimen.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

When the worlds finest Jade Carving Artists, Geologists, Mine Owners, Geophysicists, Artifact Specialists, Rare Specimen Traders, and just plain old aficionados of  Nephrite and Jadeite gather at the few venues dedicated to support this marvelous stone, certain common-use terms float about the conversations for hours, or days at a time. At shows like the Big Sur Jade Festival and the Jade Art Now Show, with each particular specimen or jade carving comes talk from all walks of life about each stone’s particular color and structure. Words like opacity, translucence, chatoyancy, ‘cream’, ’cheese’, jadeitite, texture, snowflake, flowing, ‘tight’, ‘flaky’, associated minerals, and hundreds more are just commonplace terms bandied about and not given much thought among those that have made the differing jades such an important part of their lives. In this one unique specimen called ‘Polar’, we find all that is written and talked about in the Stone of Heaven. It is perhaps the most representative sample of what nephrite truly is that I have ever run across, and to me it means “Jade in All Its Glory”. Preferences in the business vary, from certain types of nephrite because of their particular needs in carving, to the colors that fascinate them (like the purity and tightness of Edwards Black and certain Olive Wyoming stones), to the unique qualities of some of the famous New Zealand Jades and those from Australia, British Columbia, Siberia,  the different Jades from California, and indeed all over the world. All that is expressed and felt about the different types of Nephrite Jades is meaningful and true to those passionate individuals who hold their beliefs, but concerning everyone I have ever seen who prefers a certain stone like the beautiful blues of the California coast and other places, I have never seen anyone pass by a piece of Polar Jade, not stop and, half in awe,  make an exclamation of beauty, or simply mutter to themselves under their breath something like, ”simply stunning”. So now, just for the sake of this article, we will again put up the first picture to discuss the overall qualities.

Here we can see the awesome translucency that shows along the left edge of the picture, under just the regular photography lights. We can see the unique yellowish/green contrasts that come from the marriage of the Iron and the Chromium, but rather than the chromium garnets we find in say, Cassiar nephrite, the mix of the two metals is much more homogeneous in a fine piece of Polar, and tends to give an ‘ethereal’ glow to the stone. We still find areas (spots) of heavier Chromium concentrations that show up as the brilliant yellowish flakes we see in this picture, and later you will get to see under magnification the complexities that make up these unique portions. Also to be seen in this specimen, if looking closely,  are the associated metals in the tiny black spots of Magnetite. However, to me, the strangest formations that take place in Polar are the fairly total, translucent white areas that are so much like the finest Khotan translucent white nephrite that has been revered for millennia, mixed and swirled in with the unique cloudy actinolite fibrous areas we see, looking like cirrus clouds intermixing through a sky of green in an ‘otherworldly’ pattern found in no other nephrite I know of, to this degree. In my opinion, if this Polar Jade had been known to the great Qing Dynasty carvers from  China in the late 1850′s era, we would have seen the more popular Siberian Apple Green masterpieces replaced, and relegated to a secondary status by this, a  far superior stone with an inherently much more magnificent feel.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This close up of the above stone shows in great detail the ‘swirling cloud’ effect that is so unique to Polar Jade, and while this close up ‘washes out’ a bit of the intense yellow/green color, it can still be seen where the light penetrates the stone on the left side of the photo. Also, to be seen are the little specks of Magnetite, showing up as small black dots over and inside the nephrite. While these Magnetite intrusions are similar to those found in Siberian Jades, they have a much different pattern on the whole, and show up more irregularly in the Polar, while they seem much more homogeneous in the Siberian samples we have examined. This is not to say one is better because of this placement, but it helps simplify identification for the less experienced  collector. Just as not all Polar jade is exactly the same, neither is the Siberian or other jades displaying these Magnetite specks, and by examining enough specimens from known sources, one starts to get a fairly good feel for the placement of a stone to the area from which it could have come from, by knowing some of the varying anomalies that occur in each area. Also, while sometimes we must speak in generalities concerning stone from differing areas, it should be noted here that some of the Siberian gem-quality stone is extremely fine and displays many of the characteristics we will be discussing in this article, but as of this date we have not seen a large piece of Siberian nephrite that even comes close to showing all the extremely unique characteristics found in this one piece of Polar jade. This is not to say that a piece of similar nephrite does not exist out there somewhere, or that a stone will not be found that has all of these extremely important characteristics of a “true stand-alone type”, but to date we know of no other nephrite that is quite like this exquisite stone, which came from a deposit that was so prolific and produced such quality.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

Another fine photo, again showing  from a different viewpoint, some of the unique structural properties of Polar Jade in just a small close-up section of the stone. The fine translucence is clearly visible toward the right edge of the slab,  proximal to the outside rind. In this area we can see how a small, clear, white, translucent section goes all the way through this particular area to the rind on the other side. More of the cloudy, fibrous, and chatoyant swirling shows up in great detail, melding with the greener portions at this level, but will disappear when we get past the Macro lens photos and into the microscopic photos. The Magnetite ‘specks’ are more concentrated on the outside edges of this specimen, but can be found deeper in the stone, as will be shown in some of the Macro lens and microscopic pictures. The highly unusual white “flakes” that one often sees in “snowflake” specimens will also reveal that they are not typical snowflake sections, but rather, are a formation unique to this particular stone, and as yet, are an unknown (to us) type of structure and mineralization. This will be very clear in the coming microscopic pictures.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X at 1X

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 2X

The two photos above show approximately the same area, but with differences in the Macro lens being set at only 1X power and the second photo at only 2X. The clear translucent area, with its cloud-like formations in this wonderful piece of Polar Jade, runs its entire length of approximately five inches, and clear through the slab that ranges from a negative edge to approximately one and a half inches in width. In the first picture, the cirrus cloud-like nature appears to be more of a surface effect on the Nephrite, but we can clearly see in photograph 2 that with the penetration of the Macro lens, the ’clouds’ actually show thoughout the stone in differing levels. This gives the jade a strong sense of depth and ’feel’, as one rolls the piece over in one’s hands. In the sunlight, it bestows the piece with a subtle glow of deep, translucent water green and a presence of water-like, flowing motion. Under the light in ‘house’ conditions, the entire color of the stone changes to one of deep emerald green with literally waves of  motion in the translucent portions, and bright green specks where the ‘snowflake’ effect occurs. The difference in the sizes of the minuscule Magnetite particles, deeper in the ‘body of the jade, is accentuated greatly by the change from the 1x to the 2x Magnification of the Macro lens. This also accounts for difference in color seen in both photos. Both colors are true to the amount of light and magnification received.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 20X Microscopic Power

The above photograph taken under only 20X Magnification starts to show the cirrus cloud-like formations in the translucent area starting to disappear, while the true color of the Chromium and Iron mix of yellow/green begins to show up more. The Magnetite crystalline formations begin to show up as more than mere ‘specks’, and we can begin the see the structural qualities of the snowflake anomalies that occur thoughout certain portions of the stone. One can start to see the snowflake patterns not as fractures in the stone (although there are a few small fractures that are natural or are due to the mining process), but almost as what one one could describe as ‘growths’ within the nephrite. While the whitened areas do start to take on a fibrous look at this power, and almost appear as a ‘mutton fat’ nephrite formed inside this stone, it is doubtful to us that this would be the case. In a nephritic stone such as this, there would seem to be just too high a mineral contamination for a solid, pure white nephrite to form. Not to say it can never occur, as one will sometimes see in Khotan Jade from Turkanistan just such a definite transition; but that is the point. The pieces we see coming from the White and Black Jade Rivers region, while oftentimes having such transitional colors (and many old nephrite artifacts of the archaic period were clearly chosen for this flowing transitional color effect), show their color ranges more on a linear, flowing development (much as with the flowing transitional zones in this piece), and not in the spotted manner we see here with this piece of Polar Jade. We think it would be a good study for someone like the GIA to examine these types of areas, and determine conclusively if it is nephritic in nature or something different. Perhaps a pseudomorph type of transition is occurring, or there truly are other types of crystalline growths occurring within the nephrites.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 30X Microscopic Power

The above photo was chosen just to show the awesome beauty of color that is so typical of what one finds in the most ‘emerald’ portions of Polar Jade. Taken close to the cross fracture from mining (as can be seen in photograph 2) this photograph shows a minor fracture on the polished skin on one side of the stone. The slight fracture is just refracting the light from the microscope and allowing us to see clearly the transitional zones of color. Magnetite crystals and minor white growths mentioned in the above paragraph can also be seen under the surface layer.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power

This wonderful photograph shows certain aspects of Polar Jade at their finest. The translucence  and true depth of color become evident at the higher power used in this shot. The Magnetite crystals are even clearer, and the white growth spoken of previously can now be seen almost like coral under water. Another piece of Magnetite lies deeper inside the stone beneath the  white growth. The tightness of grain in the fibrous nature of this specific type of nephrite starts to become extremely obvious in the lack of fibers showing at 35X . It is an extremely tightly-fibered piece of nephrite, as will be seen in additional photographs at higher magnifications.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 40X Microscopic Power

At 40X magnification, we can start to see the nephritic fibers in this particular stone. Usually it quite easy to detect these nephritic fibers at powers as low as 10X to 20X, but here we have a very translucent stone and very small and tight fibers. It should be noted that the more opaque the stone, the easier it is to see the nephritic fibers. Some opaque jades like Wyoming Edwards Black and some of the olives, along with the famous Cowell Black discovered in Australia in 1972, are obvious exceptions to this rule. It really boils down to us that some jades, even from the same general area, are not at all the same but rather are so obviously different that this still puzzles us; why we find so little useful information in this area ever having been published. Our planned article on the different structures found in jades of the Khotan area will be a fine article to illustrate just how diverse nephrite jade truly is, even in a fairly generalized area.

Above Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 90X Microscopic Power

The above two photographs precisely show the fibrous nephritic nature of Kirk Makepeace’s Jade West/Jade Mine’s Polar Jade at 90X microscopic power. It has always amazed me that the best-known, and extemely copied, high-resolution photographs of both nephrite and jadeite are false color images, when it has long been within the scope of photography and geology to render true life photographs of both types of stones and show their real nature. While there have been many articles written about Mr. Makepeace and all of his adventures in the World of Jade, we want this series of articles, from polished specimen to finished carving, to stand alone as a testimony to the unique beauty and fascinating characteristics of this phenomenal stone.  Currently, it is our understanding that no more of this particular material is available from the Polar Mine; however, other fascinating jades are still being mined and marketed by Jade Mine.  But who knows what lies around the next bend?  We are sure that Mr. Makepeace will indeed be peering around that bend.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

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A Marvelous Example of an Authentic Hongshan Culture Wind Polished – Surface Find Pig Dragon Bi

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This tremendous 100% In-Situ Hongshan Culture (approximately 5,500 – 2,500BCE) Nephrite Jade Pig Dragon Bi is being loaned for this article from a private East Coast Collection, and was originally traded from the Fredericks-McIntire Collection of Tucson, Arizona. On the side in the above view, we find the ‘slickened’ look of a typical wind-polished Paleolithic or Neolithic stone item, and the associated degradation of an article that has been polished by water, wind and particulates for an extended period of time. This is the side that would have been downward-facing the longest during the passage of time, as the design is better preserved than that in the following picture. Also, you may notice an in-situ piece of agate that has been lodged in the mouth of the pig dragon, a technique that is commonly used as a detail in forgery. However, this particular agate sliver has actually become one with the stone through the aging process, as will be shown in the accompanying macro- and microscopic images. Most of the time, these types of stone ‘impregnations’ are accompanied by aliphatic cements or other types of glue, and just ‘pop’ right out using a fine metal pick, leaving the glue residues clearly visible, and easily removed.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

In this photo we again see the characteristic wind-polished look that gives an artifact of antiquity such a beautiful sense of timeless durability, such as what we see in the old Acheulean hand axes from Africa and wonderful stone artifacts from other parts of the world where the dry windswept regions, with their occasional rain and slight organic material associations, create these lovely patinas. While these regional and climactic conditions do have more of a tendency to wear away tooling marks, they also leave us with other quite distinctive clues as to the time spent above ground, if one looks closely enough at the artifact to ascertain the approximate climactic environment to which it has been subjected. While this Pig Dragon Bi was most likely a funereal item, as most Hongshan artifacts of religious significance were, it was unearthed for an unknown reason at some point in its early history, and left to weather on the surface for millennia. Pig Dragon Bi’s were of extreme importance to the Hongshan Culture of ancient China, as attested to by the many examples of these burial objects to be found in the archaeological records of tombs of the old Shamanic lords and tribal leaders. But it does lead one to ask the following: how does a sacred nephrite stone that was reserved for the Shamanic elite ONLY, become so prevalent on the Internet today, with literally thousands being offered for sale daily. That question then leads one to doubt very seriously if there could possibly have been hundreds of thousands of Shamanic elite buried during neolithic times. In a lifetime of collecting, we have actually owned only eight authentic Pig Dragon Bi’s, but have seen literally thousands of replications, some with a starting bid as low as one US penny, plus shipping. Every year around the time of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, I am subjected to people wanting to show me their ‘treasures’  by the hundreds, and telling me there is no way a person could make one that cheaply. My patent response is that a desperate man will do quite a bit of work for enough rice to keep his daughter fed throughout the winter, so that the family does not have to leave the little one beside the road.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

This wonderful side view shows us all the characteristics of a genuine surface-find, wind-blown Hongshan Nephrite Jade. This Pig Dragon Bi was subjected to all of our usual pre-microscopic viewing tests; an extended soaking in acetone (which degrades newer waxes and helps in the removal by power sprayer of the waxes and accompanying dirt deposits used to replicate age), one in bleach (which removes dyes and applied iron filings extremely well, when a piece has had a light acid bath and then dyes and rust applied to make it look old), and a short oxalic acid bath to remove the deeply baked-on ‘shoe polishes, dyes and mud’ that they have begun to use once again (as they did five years ago) because it is not effected by acetone, as non-baked-on newer waxes are. What you see here is a Pig Dragon Bi in its ‘as found’ condition, even after being scrubbed, cleaned and shot with our high-power water spray gun. What remains is what has legitimately adhered to the original nephrite after thousands of years. The dirt, oxidized iron, and manganese deposits you will see in the close up pictures are all now a part of the artifact, as is another anomaly that we have never seen in print before, but will explain as well as we possibly can, in photographs of the Pig Dragon Bi and some that we will use for comparison.

Photo Taken of Surface-Find Degradation on Pig Dragon Bi Using Canon EOS XSi and Canon MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

Photo Taken of Surface-Find Degradation on Pig Dragon Bi Using Canon EOS XSi and Canon MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 2X

The two photographs above show at higher magnification the soil deposits still adhering to the darker green nephrite which the Hongshan carver chose for this Pig Dragon Bi. The photos also show the nephritic fibers, and how the windblown debris started to pit the softer fibers of the nephrite, leaving the tougher fibers to rise a bit above the surface, exposing them more to wind-polishing. Contemporary artists are well aware of this characteristic of nephrite; when they polish certain types of nephrite jade, the surface often shows these higher and lower areas. This can be used to great benefit when carving a new item. When one wishes to be free of this trait in the end product, however, wax can be used to mask it; alternatively, a type of nephrite like a Wyoming “Edwards Black” can be chosen instead. because the tightness of its grain is such that there is little or no chatoyancy in the stone, as the fibers are so tightly and uniformly compacted. The parts of the photos above that show the green jade starting to turn a whitish color are extremely important here, as they begin to illuminate a property of nephrite that has, to our knowledge, never been  discussed,  and which departs from the theories of degraded funereal nephrite artifacts (which are well-documented), and the ‘chicken bone’ effect that has never been adequately explained,  and which occurs in artifacts all the way from Neolithic jade funereal pieces to Qing Dynasty burial items. We are going to explain our theory on surface-find, degraded green nephrite jade with a whitish rind, by comparing it to the chemically very similar agate, from the quartz family, which occurs simultaneously in one amazing old artifact.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X at 2X

Both photographs above show a degraded sliver of agate that has become fused into the jade mouth of the Hongshan Pig Dragon Bi. The first photograph was taken at 1X with our Macro Lens, and the second at 2X. In both photos we can see the exact same deposits adhering to both the agate and the nephrite of the Pig Dragon Bi. Also, we can see the clearer portion of the agate and the more degraded whitish sections that match the white portions of the nephrite, in both photographs above and in the previous close-ups. In the next photograph, taken at 40x power through the microscope, you will be able to see even more clearly the depth to which the the agate has degraded, and the ‘new’ clearer parts where the degraded agate (being more fracture-prone than nephrite) has chipped off, leaving a newer, ‘fresher’ surface. We believe that this white degradation of both the agate and nephrite occur in arid, wind-blown regions without the necessary moisture to turn the iron deposits in both the agate and the nephrite  into the much more familiar red rind of oxidation; rather, we believe it is more a factor of slight water intrusion into the stone, coupled mainly with ultraviolet light, which catalyzes this whitening process we see occurring on both stones simultaneously. Having had the unique opportunity to study, over the course of two-and-a-half years, in excess of a hundred pieces of degraded agate tools from Paleolithic to Neolithic sites, from the collection of Mr. Robert Willingham of Tucson, Arizona, under microscopic conditions, it has afforded me the exceptional experience of seeing all types of exotic lithic agate material in varying stages of degradation. Most of the pieces studied came from the famous Utah Agate Basin Area in which Mr. Willingham grew up and collected, but there have also been outstanding examples from Northern Africa, some dating back as far as 75,000 years or more. Many pieces studied had parts of the original core material left on them, and others had been re-chipped and re-used. Many of them showed evidence of which side of the artifact faced the ground the longest and which side had been more exposed to the harsh elements by facing upwards. We still retain numerous fine ‘study’ examples in our collection, for on-going research.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 40X Microscopic Power on Agate Inside Mouth of the Pig Dragon Bi

In this photograph at 40X power, we can clearly see the broken-off degraded piece of agate in the white piece in the center of the picture, and to the right side of the photo we see the surface of the nephrite starting to degrade into the same white coloration. The portion in-between the old degraded agate and degrading nephrite is naturally adhered soil deposits, which have also ‘fused’ the agate to the nephrite on both sides where it got stuck in the crevice which was the mouth of the Pig Dragon Bi, a very long time ago. The portion of the agate to the left of the degraded white section has again started the degradation process, and with time and exposure to ultraviolet light, if left alone and not re-polished, will become whiter, and the degradation will increase in thickness. In the next few pictures, we will show some more examples of this phenomenon on different agates before we resume our microscopic study of the Pig Dragon Bi.

Photo taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

The photograph above shows a fine example of an approximately 75,000 year old North African agate stemmed point. This type is considered among the earliest of the true chipped points, and was most likely a knife or projectile point. Note the heavy degradation to the fractured and crumbling white ‘crust’ on the far right side of the photograph, and the lesser degraded portions in the center and along the wind polished edges. When these heavily degraded areas are subjected to a violent act, such as a good river tumbling after a driving rain, portions are knocked off and the process renews itself. The areas most prone to wind polishing usually take the longest time to degrade, but differing circumstances (like a climactic change or partial burial) will produce differing results over time.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens

The above photograph is of a 100% In-Situ Neolithic degraded agate ‘tool’. Some ‘re-chipping” can be seen along a few of the leading edges, and appear under microscopic observation to be places where the stone naturally fractured from impact, and were not caused by intentional re-sharpening efforts. In these areas we find remarkable opportunities to study the degrading patinas and re-patination over time. Also evident is which side lay upward, facing the sun for the longest period and which side was face down, as many pieces we studied were verified as to exactly how they were found, how much was covered up, and how much of the item was sticking out of the surrounding soils. This tool was also found in a ‘blow-out’ and has received quite a bit more natural tumbling and cleaning than the Pig Dragon Bi under discussion, or the African agate point above.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 40X Microscopic Power

This photo at 40X microscopic power is of one of the tiny broken-off pieces on the Neolithic Utah agate tool above, and shows the similarity to the breaks and the colors associated with the agate in the mouth of the Pig Dragon Bi, under identical microscopic conditions. Note: The colors are almost identical, the time frames match in that they are both from approximately the same period, and  they are both from approximately the same climactic conditions. Now we shall continue with more on the nephrite Pig Dragon Bi on its own.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 40X Microscopic Power

Above is a wonderful photograph showing all the above-mentioned attributes of an authentic surface-find, Neolithic nephrite jade, including the whitening effect from the ultraviolet catalyst on the jade surface, the soil that has totally penetrated the porous surface of the nephrite to the point of actually becoming one with the stone, and the effect of the wind polishing to bring out the shine of the nephritic fibers and even the areas of degradation and hardened soil adhesion. No other enhancements or treatments could be found on this artifact, nor any recent polishing marks, even using the microscope up to 90X magnification.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Under 40X power Magnification

This Manganese crystalline growth in the center of a depression of the Pig Dragon Bi again shows the 100% In-Situ nature of this artifact. Coupled with the dirt encrustation and the whitening of the dark green nephrite, this manganese crystal is just one more important bit of positive proof of extreme age in an incredible piece that has never seen another tool or polishing, other than the one it received from the Master Carver who made it over 5,500 years ago.

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi under 40X Microscopic Power Of Dead Tree Root Embedded Inside the Degradation of The Pig Dragon Bi’s Suspension Hole

Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi under 40X Microscopic Power Of Dead Tree Root Embedded Inside the Degradation of The Pig Dragon Bi’s Suspension Hole

The above two photographs offer conclusive proof to us of the above statement that no re-tooling or intentional re-polishing has ever occurred on this surface-find, wind-polished Hongshan Pig Dragon Bi, as the presence of emerging dead tree or grass roots, from such a deep depression in the surface degradation inside the suspension hole, speaks volumes by itself.

David Fredericks

Antiquities, Plus…

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